Today show host Karl Stefanovic has laid into prime minister Tony Abbott for dumping the paid parental leave scheme in the budget, asking whether he should apologise to the women of Australia.
Stefanovic grilled the prime minister during the traditional round of budget interviews on Wednesday morning.
"You'll have to go to the next election having broken a significant promise and that is to the women of Australia. You promised them the world in regards to paid parental leave and you have delivered nothing for them," said Stefanovic.
Abbott replied: "I copped quite a bit of political flak on this issue. I've listened, I've learned and I've acted because the message that came back to me loud and clear from right across Australia is that if we had to prioritise we should prioritise better childcare."
Later Stefanovic asked, that as the "minister for women... you probably owe them an apology don't you?"
Tony Abbott's "signature" paid parental leave scheme, which would have seen middle income parents paid up to $50,000 for six months with their children, was dumped earlier this year after backlash within his own party.
The 2015 budget not only scrapped Abbott's election PPL-promise but also targeted so-called paid parental leave "double dipping". It'll now make it impossible for parents to access both government and employer-run schemes at the same time.
Treasurer Joe Hockey and the prime minister spent Wednesday morning spruiking childcare chare changes and tax-incentives for small businesses.
Abbott latched onto the small business message in later TV interviews, telling Sky News that like the former prime minister John Howard had the "Howard battlers", there could be "Tony's tradies".
"We all love giving people a fair go, it's only because most of us have a go that all of us can get the fair go that every Australian deserves."